Crosses and Crowns [2]

One of the most frequent questions that runs through one’s mind when s/he first learns about crosses and crowns is “Why me?”, “why don’t others have any crosses but are enjoying privileges afforded only by crown?”, “Why are others doing well while I am made to suffer these things?” Truthfully, I do not have an answer to these questions but a studious look into the live of most of the great men that had walked this earth shows that in every great calling, for
every great discovery and with every great life comes a lot of crippling obstacles.

Now I don’t want to make mention of very famous men like Socrates, Mohammed, Jesus or even modern moguls like Dangote, Adenuga, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. I will take an example from the not very far past and not too present future. That is the example of Sir Isaac Newton. For those of us who do not know who he is, he is the person behind the industrial revolution of the 16th and 17th century.

Conceived to a very wealthy farmer, one would think that this man, Isaac Newton, would enjoy a life of privileges but his father died three months before his birth leaving him to his unemployed mother to suffer. Physically, he was born painfully small. Psychologically, he had to deal with the re-marriage of his mother to a man who didn’t want him. This feeling of been unwanted turned him to a prodigal teen who almost burnt their house.

His mother was widowed for a second time and as a young adult, he couldn’t work on the farm because of his physical weakness. He suffered heartbreak from the lady he was bethrothed to and was kicked out of the church for his interest in metaphysics. His scientific life was not an easy one too as he always faced oppositions from notable scientist of that time who think he was not qualified to be called a scientist.

To make the long story short, newton had a troubled life. His cross was heavier than those of Robert Hooke and that of Galileo but each and every struggle he passed through only prepared him for a greater purpose. His physical limitation drew him to science instead of farming. His psychological troubles made him look up to the skies where he found the laws of universal gravitation. Even though the scientist of his days mock his credibility as a real scientist, modern day scientists don’t think so. His discoveries almost single-highhandedly drove the industrial revolution.

Like Isaac Newton, everybody was created for a purpose. It is this purpose that determines your parents. Origin, size, shape and your other peculiar traits. That disease that you are battling with, the accident you were involved in and all those bad things that happened to you were all part of the plan.

I urge you to begin to look introspectively to see what each circumstance is supposed to accomplish in our lives.